Queen For A Day
by Alima8314
Summary: The dragons have once again started laying large clutches. The Dragonriders feel Thread is upon them once more. Holders grudgingly give tithe. Hatchings are supposed to be joyous occasions; doubly so when a Golden Egg laid hardening on the sands. All OCs.


**Queen For A Day**  
**Co-authored by MagnaDearel and Alima8314  
(EDITED September, 2011)  
**

**Disclaimer: **Pern and all its affiliated things belong to Anne McCaffrey.

**A/N: (Alima) -** I wanted to write the most tragic thing I could think for this universe, so D and I brainstormed, finally coming up with this. D actually wrote most of this, as she owns all the Pern-related books (minus the most recent few). I added quite a bit myself, but mostly I polished it and added some details. This is my first time writing anything for Pern, so I made sure to research everything I could. Please, read and review! No flames, please, only con-crit.

**A/N: (Dearel) - **My first time writing a Pern fanfic. I've greatly enjoyed this experience. When my friend first suggested it, I liked the idea 'cause most books end with the girl being the great heroine, much power, and living happily ever after. I'm a long time fan of Anne and more recently her son, Todd. Thanks for taking the time to read our story.

**Special Thanks To:** _xfacexthisx_, for looking this over for us. Go read her stories here, too!

**Synopsis:** The dragons have once again started laying large clutches. The Dragonriders feel Thread is upon them once more. Holders grudgingly give their expected tithes. Hatchings are supposed to be joyous occasions; doubly so when a Golden Egg laid hardening on the sands. All the characters are OCs.

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It was the pre-dawn hours of the morning of the Hatching at Ista Weyr, and Deteria, the senior Weyrwoman, woke suddenly, bolting upright in bed. Cold sweat ran down her body and her hands were shaking. Deteria shivered as the covers fell to her waist. But it was only the cool temperature within her living quarters that caused her skin to prickle. Images from her vivid nightmare still played in her mind's eye. Turning to the side, she shook the shoulder of the man who lay next to her, her still-sleeping Weyrmate. "Wake up, I had the most horrible dream." She spoke more loudly than she usually did, as she knew that her partner was a deep sleeper. After a moment, she watched as he rolled over and cracked open his eyes, waiting for him to focus his gaze before she began to speak of the nightmare that had woken her from her own slumber. During her tale, Deteria kept having to pause for a moment in order to wipe her eyes or take a breath. "It was so awful," she said, ending her tale. Throughout the telling, her Weyrmate's eyes never wavered, and when she concluded the story, she gave him a few seconds to consider her dream and interpret it for himself, hoping that he would take it seriously and assuage her fears. It was only a dream, after all, though it felt absolutely real.

Her mouth bent into a frown after a few seconds, when her Weyrmate closed his eyes, turned back over and settled into sleep again, murmuring "It was just a dream, Love. Go back to sleep." Feeling put out by this, Deteria lay down again and turned over as well, her back to her Weyrmate. It took a while for her to fall asleep again, since she was afraid that the nightmare would start again the moment she closed her eyes. Eventually, however, sleep did claim the woman once more, but this time, she was blessed with better dreams until she woke again a little after true dawn had broken.

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The dragons' welcoming hum echoed through Ista Weyr. Everywhere, there were people rushing to get what needed to be done out of the way so that they would not be late. Everyone wanted to find good seats in the stands so that they would watch as the lives of several young people were changed forever. Soon the eggs that lay in the warm sand would be Hatching, and the excitement that surrounded such an event meant that Deteria could put that terrifying dream behind her.

Smiling from the Weyrwoman's seat, on the ledge near her broody Gold dragon, Minth, she watched the Candidates bravely march onto the sands of the Hatching Ground, led by the Werylingmaster. Deteria passed her gaze over the assemblage, skimming over the boys and letting her eyes linger on the girls, all of whom were vying for the single Queen egg that was prominently displayed to the side. The rest of the eggs were half-buried in the sand surrounding the great Golden prize, like an honor guard of sorts. As her piercing eyes swept over the group of young women, her attention was caught by a familiar face. The Weyrwoman focused on that face, trying to place where she may have seen the girl before. It was a young girl, a teenager really, with brown curly hair and large soulful eyes, which kept darting back and forth from the eggs to her neighbor. The two were talking animatedly, and their obvious excitement outshone their equally obvious apprehension. Their words were drowned out by the humming the all the dragons in the Weyr, which was increasing in pitch and volume. In response to the draconian song, the eggs wobbled, their occupants seeming to dance in time to the birthing song.

Deteria raised a hand to her face, stroking her bottom lip with her finger in thought. She had never met the girl before, at least, not formally. She knew of the Candidates who had been Searched in the hope of Impressing the young Queen who would Hatch today, but didn't know anyone's name yet. That would wait until after the ceremony, when Deteria would take the girl under her wing, so to speak, and teach her everything about being a Weyrwoman. One of the girls on the sands would be replacing her someday, far in the future, and she wanted to be sure that she was placing her Weyr in capable hands. Bringing her mind back to the girl she thought she recognized, she thought for a moment longer before she was finally able to place the face. It was the girl from her nightmare. The one who... No. Deteria shook her head. No, it was just a dream. If it were reality, it would be far too much to bear.

But, she also knew that some female dragonriders, especially those who rode Queens, sometimes had special mental abilities... Only twice before had she had so strong a premonition as she had last night, and both times had they come to pass as she had seen in her dreams. The Weyrwoman's mouth dropped open in a soundless scream as a wave of dizziness passed over her. In the haze, she saw again the events that had unfolded in her nightmare. And there, in the center of it all, was the face of the girl with the curly brown hair. Deteria reached out her hand toward the figure on the sands, and as her vision cleared, she noted that she could see the whole girl in miniature standing between her fingers. The girl, appearing small and fragile, and very much in danger, was standing in the midst of rocking dragon eggs, which had just begun Hatching.

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It was a morning in the Pernese Turn 1254, near the end of what would in later Turns be called the First Long Interval, four Turns prior to the start of the Fifth Pass. The sun rose slowly stretching its rays over the horizon and spreading a warm golden glow across the Pernese landscape. The light traveled over the ground, exploring everything and anything within its vast reach. It dipped as deeply as it could into holes, and climbed as high as it could over obstacles, rocks, vegetation and whatever. As the morning sun journeyed westward along the surface of the planet, it caressed many small, still slumbering creatures.

After it had traveled a great distance, the sunlight tentatively poked its fingers in the spaces caused by a hastily hung curtain, finally coming to rest on the smooth brow of several sleeping young ladies. Growing braver as it grew stronger, the light touched one girl's wavy brown hair, making it glow the color of warm, if dark, honey. The waves of her hair shone brightly here and there as it caught the sunlight that continued to force its way through the thin, dark-colored fabric that was stretched across the window. After getting through the cloth barrier that failed to hold it at bay, the light fell upon the closed eyelids and woke up the girl who was sleeping in the Candidate Barracks at Ista Weyr.

Minth was the large Golden Queen who looked to Deteria, who had been the Weyrwoman at Ista for the past eleven Turns. She had laid a clutch of thirty eggs, and they were close to their time to Hatch. Displayed proudly on the Hatching Grounds was Minth's current pride, the Gold egg that would crack open to reveal a new Queen. Scattered the Gold egg were twenty-nine other eggs, all of which would open to reveal dragons of the other colors: Bronze, Brown, Blue, and Green. Though Minth was pleased with herself for her large clutch, it was her solitary Gold egg that brought her the most joy.

Several girls from all over Pern had been Searched in the hope that this new Queen would Impress well, and in the future, breed strong dragons to continue the fight against the deadly threat of Thread. Thread hadn't fallen for a very long time, and the Harpers had stated that this was the longest period of time, or Interval, between Passes of the Red Star that had been recorded in Pern's history. While it was true that the Harpers kept the history of Pern alive in their songs and stories, it was also true that Thread had not fallen for as long as anyone, even the oldest person in the world, could remember. This gave many people cause to consider that Thread may truly be gone for good, no matter what the Harpers said. However, those who watched the Star Stones agreed with the assessment that it would soon be time to take defense against the menace that rained down and consumed anything it could for fifty Turns.

Every Interval throughout Pern's history resulted in the Lord Holders becoming a bit stingy with giving their tithes to the Weyrs that they were beholden to. They claimed that they did not know that Thread would return, and that the Dragonriders were only trying to get out of doing honest work themselves. This especially long Interval was no exception. The Lord Holders had become the most closefisted with their Marks and goods than they had ever been before. However, in the past, when Thread did begin falling, all the Holds were usually more than glad to give up quite a few things in order to maintain the protection they got from the Wings of dragons flying overhead and flaming the menace before it could touch the ground. Though it had been much longer than usual since they were last needed in the skies above their respective homes, the Dragonriders were sure that Thread was well on its way to return soon. Their dragons has started to become restless and there had been an increase in the number of Gold eggs being laid as a result of recent mating Flights, which were also increasing in their frequency. There was still only one Gold egg laid per clutch, but more eggs were being laid more often than in the past few Turns, at all the Weyrs.

As the morning progressed, the Candidates were busy doing chores. Dothanna, the sleeping girl who the sun woke up by poking its rays into her eyes, was working by the side of her new friend, Miri. Miri was close in age to Dothanna, and the two girls became fast friends shortly after their arrival to Ista Weyr. They had been given beds next to each other, and so would sometimes stay up late, having whispers conversations about their lives, where they had each come from and who their families were, and their dreams, what they wanted to do in the future, whether or not they Impressed a dragon.

Dothanna was the third daughter, and the youngest of four children, born to her parents. She had one older brother and two older sisters. Unlike most Lord Holders, Dothanna's father didn't have much of a problem handing her over to the Dragonrider who had Searched her. He believed in the Dragonriders and their mission, and did his best to support them in any way he could. In private moments, Dothanna and her father had bonded well, though most of his time was spent training her older brother in the responsibilities of running the hold. Being from a minor hold, and knowing her father's love for her, Dothanna understood that her father was giving her chance to grow beyond her present circumstances. Had she not been Searched, her life would have been spent married to someone who only needed heirs. Her parents had both told her that if she ended up not Impressing a dragon, she need not hurry home. To be honest, her parents, and her father especially, would have made sure she married well, but she didn't want to be treated like property, and they knew it. She hadn't much cared about Impressing a dragon when she first arrived, but she had quickly become contaminated with the excitement that the other Candidates exhibited over the prospect, and now it was her fervent wish that she Impress the Gold that was on the sands, waiting for her life-long partner. She was aware, however, of her competition for said egg in the form of all the other girls who had been Searched.

Miri was only fourteen Turns, though she looked a little older than Dothanna's fifteen Turns due to the hard work she'd done as a drudge most of her life. She had short-cropped black hair and dark, almond-shaped eyes. Miri was tall and thin, and though her frame would have led one to not think so, she was much stronger than she appeared. Her life as a drudge started when her father sold her to the hold in order to pay off some massive gambling debts. Her mother died early in her childhood, and she had few memories of the woman. Miri had been Searched from a hold not far from Dothanna's, and she was grudgingly given up to the dragonrider who came for her by the Lord Holder's wife. Being Searched had fanned a flame of hope her heart, a hope that she would someday be someone important. Perhaps someday she would be a Queen rider, and become the female half the Weyr leadership. But, in all honesty, she just wanted to Impress any dragon that would have her. That way, she wouldn't have to return to a life of drudgery.

The Candidates had been waiting for the Hatching for close to two sevendays, and were growing impatient with the time spent not being Dragonriders. Learning about their very possible futures that the Weyrlingmaster could cram into their heads was all well and good, as they eagerly absorbed any knowledge they could get, but until that fateful moment when they became one with their draconic partners, they were stuck learning the theory rather than the practice. The Weyrleaders, as well as several others, had told them that once they Impressed, they would wish, if only for a moment, that they were back in the Barracks, doing menial chores. Time and time again, they had been told about caring for a newly Hatched dragonet, and how difficult, but immensely rewarding, it would be.

"If you think you're tired now, just wait," was what they had heard several times from many of the Dragonriders who lectured them on everything they would need to know about their soon-to-be soulmates. Their dragons would be constantly growing for the first few months of their lives, and would also need daily baths and oilings to keep their skin from drying and cracking open. They would watch an older rider care for their beast, learning where the truly sensitive parts of the dragons were, as well as the most common problem areas.

The Candidates were also told that, when Thread finally fell, when they returned from the Fall, they needed to tend to their dragons first, unless they were absolutely unable to, physically, and there would, of course, be people from the Lower Caverns on hand to assist. Both boys and girls received lessons on using firestone, but the girls got extras lessons, teaching them how to use the flamethrowers. This was in case one of them Impressed the queen. A few boys wheedled their way into the flamethrower lessons, too. The Weyrlingmaster didn't seem to mind, though. Whenever Thread fell, some would always get past even the most diligent of riders, and therefore, anyone they could spare to man the ground crew was welcome.

Dothanna recited the lectures to herself as she imagined her new life as a Dragonrider of Pern. She and Miri would talk long into the night, quizzing each other and going on about the adventures they would share in the next few Turns to come. During the first few days they had worked together, the pair had grown close.

However, this morning, Dothanna had woken up long before anyone else, even Miri. She had not slept very well during the night, dozing fitfully before finally giving up. She lay in bed for a few hours, dreaming of her new life and wondering how her family was doing. Today was Dothanna's Naming Day, and she wondered if her father might arrange to have some gifts sent to her, or even come to visit her. Though she missed her family dearly, there was no way she would go back to see them and possibly miss the Hatching and her chance at Impression. Her family was invited to the Hatching, and there was a dragon waiting at her family's hold to transport them to the Weyr when the dragons signaled that the Hatching was starting. She was excited, and had a feeling that today would be the day that she would Impress a mighty dragon, and her life be changed forever. She screwed her eyes shut and sent her thoughts toward the eggs hardening on the sands, focusing primarily on the Queen egg. After all her lessons, her desire to Impress the golden beast had grown, but she decided that she would be happy with a green, if it came down to it. She simply wanted to Impress, no matter what! Dothanna and Miri agreed that they would not be jealous of the other, should one of them Impress the little Queen, or Impress at all, but would instead support each other.

Dothanna had done her best to hide her gaping yawns all morning, but it was getting harder to do as the day went on. Sleep had become more elusive as the days passed since Deteria announced that her Queen's egg should be Hatching within the sevenday.

Her drowsiness had been commented on by both Miri and the Candidate Master; though she was not the only one to suffer from a lack of sleep. All the girls were excited, but most hid it better than the young holder's daughter. She had been pulled aside a couple times already and told that she needed to get more sleep than she was obviously getting. "A Candidate needs to be rested and alert when it comes time for the Hatching. Don't worry about missing anything. There's no way we'd let you youngsters sleep through something so important," she was told. At night, she overheard whispers that hinted that she was not the only one to get the speech.

The worst admonishment came after Dothanna had stumbled over her own feet and spilled a bag of fresh glows during her morning chores. Only Miri's quick words, "We're sorry, she tripped over a rock," had saved them both from a more severe punishment than clearing all of the Candidate's dishes from the morning meal for two days.

Later in the day, Dothanna was eating lunch with Miri when she noticed a quiet anticipation. She looked around seeing people chatting and talking like normal. The hall wasn't silent of people, ah but of dragons. There were no dragon calls to be heard, no wings flapping.

Dothanna shook her head, trying to clear out the sleepiness. Her excitement over the upcoming Hatching had kept her awake most of the night, resulting in her getting only a couple hours' sleep. Miri, on the other hand, looked completely rested, though she was equally excited.

A low hum entered the cavern. The Dragonriders paused and looked toward their dragon's locations even though they couldn't be seen from inside the great cavern. A cry went up traveling from table to table. "The Hatching! The Hatching is starting!" The quicker Weyrfolk jumped up from table and headed toward the Hatching Ground. Riders sent to collect Candidates or parents grabbed riding gear and bolted out.

Dothanna tried to take it all in with her mouth open. Miri squealed and grabbed her friend's arm shaking violently. "Dothanna! It's time, can you believe it?"

"CANDIDATES TO YOUR BARRACKS!" The Candidate Master's voice bellowed out. Starting the Candidates who've yet to move and hurrying those, from experience, already going. Passing guilty looks, the two girls rose and wove their way toward the girl's side of the barracks. There they completed the fastest change ever from normal day clothes to the pristine white robe of a Candidate.

Hand in hand, the two joined the small cluster of girls forming. The boy's group was already big and becoming much bigger as riders deposited late arrivals into the group. Dothanna smiled timidly at another girl as their eyes caught each others. The girl nodded and looked away.

An increase in the intensity of the hum drew the attention of everyone. The Hatching was imminent. Last minute guests scurried across the hot sands to the stands to watch. With a nod from the Candidate Master, the Candidates filed in with girls going first.

Dothanna caught her breath as she walked past the mottled eggs. Several were already wiggling as the adults hummed encouragement. With the other girls she moved near the Gold egg where it sat separate from the rest of the clutch. The Gold egg seemed to have no intention on being the first to crack, so Dothanna felt safe to watch the rest of the clutch.

Four or five eggs were giving wild rocks as the occupants tried to break free. Between one moment and the next the sound of an egg shattering reached waiting ears. A small brown dragonet stumbled free of his egg and looked around. The line of boys surged, some forward and some back. It wasn't a Bronze to Hatch first, but a brown was still good. The little brown stumbled forward, passing several boys whom moved out of the baby dragon's way. His eyes whirled faster with hunger, and he called out. The adults crooned and the brown made a beeline for a short boy. The boy knelt and rubbed the eyeridges of his dragon. Impression had been made!

Suddenly two more eggs cracked open. A blue dragonet shook the last pieces of shell from his wet wings and squealed. Nearby a Bronze timidly poked his nose out of his shell. Well the Bronze could take his time! Blue knew exactly whom he wanted and wasn't going to wait for anyone. A boy strode confidently forward toward the blue that crooned happily. Together they headed off toward the feeding table. By now the timid Bronze had fought his way free of the shell and looked around. He stepped across the sands and slowly worked his way almost to the end of the boys before picking his rider.

Two greens and a brown Hatched almost simultaneously. The greens squalled at each other as if over some disagreement. How could they have a disagreement just out of the egg? The brown followed more sedately behind the two greens. While the greens split and headed in opposite directions to either end of the boy's line, the brown found his rider in the center. One of the greens cheeped hungrily at her rider and the other tried to cheep even louder to get her rider to feed her first.

Another pair of eggs shattered. The brown dragonet entering more gracefully than the blue who wound up on his back. The blue cried pitifully until a boy ran up to help him upright. Satisfied that his clutchmate is okay, the brown turned to make his decision. While not seeming to be picky, he made his choice fairly quickly.

Dothanna couldn't believe how fast the Hatching was proceeding. Already eight Hatchlings stood near the entrance to the Grounds. The sound of more eggs cracking caused her to turn her eyes back toward the clutch. A green, brown, and finally a second Bronze made their appearance. The Bronze, far from being timid, strolled confidently across the sands on wobbly legs. He nudged one boy out of his way to pick the one standing behind him. The brown had to make several passes before he finally chose his rider. The green... Now the green seemed to bypass the boys altogether and headed toward the girls.

Dothanna's and Miri's hands found each other's and held on tightly; their feet shifted on the hot sands. It seemed to be happening so fast. Suddenly a green creeled as she stumbled toward the girls. "Oh look Doth!" Miri used her friend's nickname in her excitement. "It looks like a green is going to pick a girl. I wonder who she's for."

"Oh, I hope she's for you Miri!" Dothanna replied, though she really wished the green would hurry and choose someone. As she spoke, Dothanna watched her friend's eyes criss-cross.

Miri gasped, "She's mine!" Releasing her friend's hand, she ran to the green and scratched her eyeridges. Dothanna was still happy for her friend, though can't help feeling a twinge of jealousy at the moment. She smiled as Miri turned back to her as she led the little green to the feeding table. Dothanna gave an encouraging wave, then returned her attention to the remaining eggs.

One dragon after another Hatched; a blue and a green tumbled onto the sands. The blue looked around hesitantly. For a brief heart-stopping moment it looked as if he'd vanish Between. Then he crooned and stumbled toward a young boy of thirteen Turns hiding in the back. A second green neared the girls and Dothanna held her breath. Maybe, just maybe. Her eyes stay focused on the little green as she wove and bobbed Oh please pick me. Please pick me. The green was heading right toward her! Dothanna found herself holding her breath and forced herself to breathe. The girl next to her gave a cry and ran to the green dragonet. Dothanna's spirits plummeted. The green wasn't for her after all.

Two more eggs Hatched as the Gold egg began to rock. The Hatchlings turned out to be a green and a third Bronze. It seemed Bronzes were scarce in this clutch or were hiding in the second half still. Dothanna watched as the green went on to Impress to a boy without hesitation. The Bronze, which would Impress to a boy, was of no interest to her, so her attention turned back to the Gold egg. With a force that sent stray pieces a couple feet from the egg, a crack appeared down the center. The halves fell away revealing the baby Queen, standing with her eyes whirling red.

'Uxyth!' the dragon's voice cried in her mind. 'Friend of my life and soul, I am Uxyth, and I am hungry!'

Dothanna looked around at the staggering Hatchlings, trying to find the one that called out to her. She dared not look at the Queen, who had Hatched seconds before, for though it was her greatest wish that she be Impressed to the wondrous creature, she knew that wishes were for children. Children did not hear the voices of dragons, and so, in that moment on her Naming Day, she knew she had become an adult. Dothanna continued to search for the source of the demanding mental cry when she felt something heavy bump into her back. She stepped aside and, after a second, was bumped again, but this time it was punctuated by a loud cry in her head.

'Feed me!' the voice in her mind was indignant. Dothanna turned and cried out in joy, her hands flying to her mouth, at the sight that met her. It was Uxyth, her dragon and lifemate, her beautiful, Golden, hungry Uxyth. Her other half. Dothanna never knew how incomplete she had been until she looked into those swirling eyes.

Uxyth butted her once more, removing her from her reverie. Dothanna shook her head. She had her whole life to admire the dragon. Right now, the young Queen was hungry! The girl beckoned to the dragonet, who followed her to the feeding table.

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The tension was almost palpable in the Hatching Cavern. Riders stood with tears streaming unnoticed down their cheeks. The dragonet's keening, along with the adult's humming, started a cacophony reverberating within the Grounds. Lords, Ladies, and Craftsmen all stood with their hands to their ears, trying to make sense of the event. The newest Dragonriders stood in stunned shock, unable to grasp what had just happened.

As the noise slowly dimmed to a bearable level, a cry went up from near the feeding table. Those who were nearest pulled back, exposing the scene. In the darkening sand, lay a corpse of the young girl with brown hair. It was the newly Impressed Queen's rider. She lay in a still-spreading pool of bright red blood... Her throat slashed. A cry of outrage rose from the assembly. Who would dare to take the life of the new Rider and that of her newly Hatched Queen?

The dragons relayed the event to their speechless riders: The young Queen, impatient to feed, had reached out to balance herself as she snagged the piece of meat from Dothanna, her Weyrmate. The girl's exhaustion, coupled with the fledgling's lack of coordination, led to this most disastrous happening, this horrific, grand miscalculation. Dothanna's throat had gotten caught on the reaching talon and ripped out. The young Queen gave out a full-bodied cry of grief and disbelief went Between as she felt her Weyrmate die.

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**A/N (cont'd): (Alima) -** Well, here is our story! I hope it was tragic enough for you. I'm very glad we wrote this story, and so is D. Any reviews this story gets, I'll forward to her, so she can know what people think also. D's little brother was with us as we worked on it, and his exact words upon reaching the ending were: "That ending sucked!" It is supposed to suck. That was the whole point to this story. It's a tragedy! D is better at writing background details than I am. I'm best at dialogue. However, this story has little dialogue. I like that. This was an exercise for myself, for trying to write more details than I usually do. However, most of the detail work credit does go to D. We chose the setting and Turn we did because little has been written about Ista, and no one has yet written anything canonical about the end of the First Long Interval.  
Well, I think this will be edited some even after being posted. Reading it over myself, I can see some stuff that needs a little improvement, but right now, I am way too tired to even try.  
Only during our brainstorming session, back in June 2010, was my mind in Pern. Almost the whole time we were working on this story was my mind somewhere in Xanth (I read the first 8 Xanth books while working on this story...). I have been a longtime fan of Anne, but I didn't really know who she was until I met D. D has, like, EVERY book Anne McCaffrey has ever written. D and I have both read EVERY scrap of anything canon related to Pern. ^_^  
The story behind this story is: D is a member of several DRoP Guilds on GaiaOnline she will be posting a link to this story in her signature there, and we speak in what we call "Pernese." We're both rather fluent in it. ^_^ Well, anyway, I wondered out loud what the most tragic thing in Pern would be... We decided that a girl Impressing a Queen on her Name Day, and then dying, would be the most tragic thing ever. So, we wrote it out, and you have just read it.  
Some of my dialogue is influenced by ElfQuest, which I was reading (again) just prior to working on this story.  
As a long-time fan of Pern, I must honestly say that I'm very glad that Anne let someone else fly in the skies of Pern. I'm also very glad she chose someone who is worthy of it, her son, Todd. I like that his "voice" is so similar to his mother's. I mean, you tell definitely tell the difference between what Anne wrote and what Todd wrote, but only just. I do like Todd's books because he explores things and such that most people wouldn't have thought to think about. You can tell that the things he's written for Pern have been burning in his mind for a long time. However, as much as I like what he's written, I must say that Dragon Harper, while good, was my least favorite of his books. I do like how Anne is letting her son tell some of the history of why thing are the way they are by the time we meet Lessa and F'lar. She, herself, has explained some, but not enough, in my opinion.  
The only thing that gets to me about Todd's writing is that he writes everyone as a blond-haired, blue-eyed person. I thought blue eyes were technically a genetic mutation, and that blond hair was extremely recessive...  
Todd is a great author, he really is, but he needs to be more careful in writing stories set in his mother's universe... However, his take on Pern will not stop me from continuing to read his tales of Pern.

**A/N (cont'd): (Dearel) -** Ok, so now you've read it. Before you jump down our throats about the Turn/Year, yes we've done our homework on it. We checked through my Guide to Pern book. We intentionally picked a time and place that has little written on it. (No major events, Weyrleaders, etc to deal with.)  
The first two paragraphs are actuality. The following paragraphs are the dream that Deteria had. The Weyrwoman is slightly based off Lessa and her powers. I wanted her to have a premonition that everyone would discount as simply "a bad dream." The dream itself is told from the perspective of the young woman, Dothanna, as if it's happening now.  
The Hatching- I didn't want the Gold to Hatch straight away. In a Hatching there's a large amount of up and down feelings. Watching other candidates Impressing, and feeling with despair; the sudden hope of when a Hatchling looks in your direction. We added Miri in, for that sense of loyalty/friendship, yet rivalry. I hope you enjoyed reading the Hatching as much as I had fun writing it.  
In this story, several events caused the accident. First, being Dothanna was exhausted from lack of sleep. The second in her dragon's impatience to be fed. With her reactions blurred, she was unable to react to the dragonet in time to avoid harm. The other thing I found to be ironic is the Hatching on Dothanna's Name Day, her birthday. So she becomes a Turn older, Impresses a Queen dragon, and dies all on the same day. How is that not ironic?  
I'd like to give thanks to my guild Dragonflight: An Alternate Pern. They gave me the basis for the Hatching. Thanks guys!  
I'm sticking the link into my gaia sig, so if you're coming from there please leave us a comment! Thankx!


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